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Author Topic: Pearl Cover Maintenance  (Read 7209 times)

mattypizon

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Pearl Cover Maintenance
« on: February 09, 2011, 05:35:51 AM »
I am curious if anyone has touched up their pearlized equipment without altering the original reaction.  I have a Gravity Shift that I LOVE and have bowled around 30 games with.  According to Storm's recommendation I should hit it with a grey Scotch Brite pad and then Step 2 I believe.  Problem is I only have Extra Shine, Power House Factory Finish, and some Meguiar's Ultimate Polish.  I have every grit made of Abralon and am looking for recommendations on how to keep the surface "fresh" and as close to box finish as possible.

 

Any ideas?


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charlest

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Re: Pearl Cover Maintenance
« Reply #1 on: February 09, 2011, 02:24:58 PM »
My 2 cents is you may be confusing some concepts here. If you needed to restore the ball from scratch, then use Storm's advice and procedures. If you have just 30 games on it, UNLESS the ball has been badly mistreated or badly scratched by the lanes, you really just need to refresh the surface.
 
Storm's Xtra Shine is a great polish with which to do that. It has an abrasive in it and is an excellent polish to restore the shine and make the surface just a little bit finer than it is now, with 30 games on it. Hopefully you also have a spinner. I would just take a dollop of the XS and clean terry cloth or micro-fiber towel and polish the worn or track area to bring it a level equivalent to the unworn polished area. The area under the palm (center of grip) should provide a good example (unless you're a full roller.)
 


"None are so blind as those who will not see."
"Some bowlers are crazy as pickled cats."
 
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bwproshop

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Re: Pearl Cover Maintenance
« Reply #2 on: February 10, 2011, 09:01:25 AM »
Most polishes are pretty similar unless you have something like Ebonite's Delayed reaction polish or something that advertises more length than traditional polish. That said, most polishes have abrasives in them that help the polish stick to an older surface that isn't freshly sanded. The Power House should work fine. Siaar is a company that makes pads similar to Abralon and they now make a 1500 grit pad, which is what the box surface is on the Gravity. You might be able to get these from your proshop or distributor.

"Now you can Bowl To Win with Hammer, Track, and Columbia"!!

Sean Davidson
Bowler's World Pro Shop
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charlest

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Re: Pearl Cover Maintenance
« Reply #3 on: February 10, 2011, 09:08:13 PM »

 
 
 
 
 
bwproshop wrote on 2/10/2011 10:01 AM:Most polishes are pretty similar unless you have something like Ebonite's Delayed reaction polish or something that advertises more length than traditional polish.
 
No, they are not! There are Abrasive polishes like Storm's Xtra Shine and Brunswick's Factory Finish High Gloss polish and there are non-abrasive ones like Valentino's Snake Oil and EBonite's Factory Finish Gloss polish and Motiv's High Gloss polish. They apply very different finishes to balls.
 
 
That said, most polishes have abrasives in them that help the polish stick to an older surface
 
Polishes are not something that "sticks" to the surface like paint. Polishes change the surface to provide length. Non-abrasives do not change the underlying grit level, while abrasive polishes change the grit level (surface roughness) as well as applying a shine. Because polish is not a "Paint" or a "varnish", something that lies on top of the surface, only an abrasive can remove a polish. That abrasive can be Abralon, SiaAir pads or sandpaper or Scotch Brite pads or the surface of a bowling lane.
 
 
 
 
that isn't freshly sanded. The Power House should work fine. Siaar is a company that makes pads similar to Abralon and they now make a 1500 grit pad, which is what the box surface is on the Gravity. You might be able to get these from your proshop or distributor.

"Now you can Bowl To Win with Hammer, Track, and Columbia"!!

Sean Davidson
Bowler's World Pro Shop


"None are so blind as those who will not see."
"Some bowlers are crazy as pickled cats."
 
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mattypizon

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Re: Pearl Cover Maintenance
« Reply #4 on: February 21, 2011, 03:56:47 PM »
Charlest:  I have a Storm Marvel that I'd like to shine up but don't know which underlying grits to use before polishing.  I know Storm recommends 500 abralon, grey pad, then reacta shine for 1500 finish on their pearlized stuff.  With the Marvel being a solid I'm trying to find a balance where I'll get additional length without completely losing the great midlane read the Marvel provides while adding some pop on the back.  Any thoughts for me?


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Cobalt Bomb

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Re: Pearl Cover Maintenance
« Reply #5 on: February 21, 2011, 04:18:22 PM »
I know you asked Charlest, and perhaps he'll weigh in here, but my recommendation would be to try the ball at 4000 abralon, no polish. I would go 1k, 2k, 4k, on all 4 sides. I find that finish grit to be very versatile, and should give you the added length you are looking for without sacrificing midlane read.
 



mattypizon wrote on 2/21/2011 4:56 PM:
Charlest:  I have a Storm Marvel that I'd like to shine up but don't know which underlying grits to use before polishing.  I know Storm recommends 500 abralon, grey pad, then reacta shine for 1500 finish on their pearlized stuff.  With the Marvel being a solid I'm trying to find a balance where I'll get additional length without completely losing the great midlane read the Marvel provides while adding some pop on the back.  Any thoughts for me?




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charlest

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Re: Pearl Cover Maintenance
« Reply #6 on: February 21, 2011, 04:59:41 PM »
Matty,
 
I'm afraid you can't have your cake and eat it too.
 
If you apply polish to a 2000 grit surfaced ball, you are going to get more length, no matter what you do. That length is going to reduce the midlane reading ability of the ball. Period. If you hand apply polish lightly, the reduction can be minimal. If you apply a lot with a spinner, the reduction can be a lot.
 
CobaltBomb had a good suggestion in sanding the ball to 4000 grit. That will add length without a large decrease in midlane read, just a small amount, relatively speaking.
 
HOWEVER ....
having read your post on your 505T here and on BowlingChat, you said your Tropical Heat is reacting much better than your 505T AND your Marvel. That tells me everything and in the future it should tell you the same also. Both these ball are stronger oil readers than the TH. That is, they need mmore oil and will react earlier and stronger than the TH to oil. On the other hand it also means they will burn up all their energy in the heads and the midlane when you try to use them on too little oil and the TH will be the ball to use, in that case.
 
I think you should save the Marvel and the 505T for when you have more oil to allow them to conserve their energy and use the TH when  you see the lesser amount of oil you're seeing now.
 
Good luck!
 
mattypizon wrote on 2/21/2011 4:56 PM:
Charlest:  I have a Storm Marvel that I'd like to shine up but don't know which underlying grits to use before polishing.  I know Storm recommends 500 abralon, grey pad, then reacta shine for 1500 finish on their pearlized stuff.  With the Marvel being a solid I'm trying to find a balance where I'll get additional length without completely losing the great midlane read the Marvel provides while adding some pop on the back.  Any thoughts for me?




"None are so blind as those who will not see."
"Some bowlers are crazy as pickled cats."
 
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mattypizon

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Re: Pearl Cover Maintenance
« Reply #7 on: February 21, 2011, 05:43:21 PM »
Cobalt Bomb:  all replies are appreciated.  I just wanted to give Charlest his due respect for his experience with coverstock prep. 

 

Charlest:  you have to read the update to the 505t I made today.  Oil extraction and 500 grit abralon and the ball is a beast.  Great midlane move.  Strong arcing drive on the back.  Destroyed the pins.  Messengers on some shots I haven't experienced yet.  All on a shot that was definitely on the drier side.  Not fried, but probably your typical "after league" condition.  If you get a chance read my update over at bowlingchat.net.  I couldn't believe the reaction with the layout and surface.  Makes no sense at all to me?

 

As far as the Marvel I actually threw some Reacta Shine on top of the box 2000 and really liked the look.  I think for whatever reason my release, revs, and conditions I bowl on are more suitable to shiny solids or pearls.  In fact I've had a Storm school student tell me he can see why I love Storm balls in particular, especially their strong symmetricals.  One of my all time favorites was a polished Erase It.  The Marvel's strong cover and symmetrical core are a great match for me but I didn't like it at 2000.  I can try the 4000 next I guess. 

 

I'm really trying to get an overview on how underlying grits affect reaction with polish to where I really have  a good grasp on it.  In other words will polishing over 500 abralon only shine up the peaks while still leaving some nice deep valleys for oil displacement or is it better to have a much smoother surface overall so there is a much "wider" footprint on the dry boards of the lane?  Storm's pearls are finsihed at 1500 grit polish:  500 abralon, grey scotchbrite (800 grit), then reacta shine I believe.  BUT if you like at a ball like the 607 from Track I believe they go 500, 1000, 2000, 2000 then polish and supposedly that ball is very skid/flip.  Just trying to learn more and more here.  Thanks guys!


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charlest

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Re: Pearl Cover Maintenance
« Reply #8 on: February 21, 2011, 07:53:35 PM »
Matty,
 
COuld it also been where you were playing on the lane?
 
A 505T with a 500 grit surface is just an insane amount of surface  It will destroy a pattern in less than a game for yourself as well as for everyone else.
 
There are few other valid reason for a Tropical Heat to work when a "normally" surfaced 505T and Marvel won't. The 2 solids are for medium to heavy oil while the Tropical is for medium or less oil.
 
With the same type and amount of NON-ABRASIVE polish, the  rougher the underlying grit the sooner the ball will grab the lane and more oil it will handle. As you go up in grit, you get more length and a sharper backend and handle less oil.
 
In general, it makes no sense to apply polish over such a rough grit as 500. You would normally go up (numerically) in finer and finer grits to 4000 grit. The roughest grit I would normally apply polish over is 1500 grit, but usually I stick to  2000 grit. Then if necessary, I got to 4000 grit + Non-Abraive polish.
 


"None are so blind as those who will not see."
"Some bowlers are crazy as pickled cats."
 
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"None are so blind as those who will not see."
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